Some financially struggling college students might turn to second jobs or selling their possessions on eBay to help pay for their growing student debt.Others simply ask mommy and daddy for some financial support – “Sugar Mommies” and “Sugar Daddies,” that is.

Proclaiming itself as the world’s largest Sugar Daddy website, Seekin-gArrangement.com helps pair “Sugar Daddies” and “Sugar Mommies” with “Sugar Babies,” or in this case, hundreds of money-strapped Michigan college students.

According to the “mutually beneficial dating” site, four Michigan universities ranked within the top 30 “Fastest Growing Sugar Baby Schools” for women signups in the country in 2012, leading with Michigan State University.

But what exactly is a “Sugar Baby”? The site defines the term as attractive, young people who want to meet someone who is “willing to pamper and offer financial assistance or gifts in return for their friendship or companionship.”

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MSU topped the state’s growth list at 16th with 108 female student signups in 2012, showing a 133 percent growth over the previous year, according to a news release.

Eastern Michigan University ranked 24th with its 84 female student signups with a 112 percent increase.

The University of Michigan’s total student signups weren’t readily available on the site, but the news release states the school ranked 25th with an 82 percent increase over the previous year.

Wayne State University came in at 29th with a 95 percent growth and 76 signups in 2012.

“The population of college Sugar Babies in Michigan has steadily increased every year, with MSU leading all major universities in Michigan,” Brandon Wade, who founded the profit-for-relationship site in 2005, said in a news release. “While some may argue that these women are just using men for their own personal gain, I believe that they are proactive in pursuing a higher education.”

Overall, the site has reported a 58 percent increase of college student signups in the last year, states the news release. The site claims recent tuition hikes and a rough economy have led to the across-the-board increases.

“College should be an opportunity to expand the mind and experience new things,” Wade said. “Unfortunately, because of the of recent tuition hikes, the college experience has become greatly unbalanced.”

Sugar Baby profiles on the site include typical online dating information such as body type, location and interests but users have the option to post their expected monthly monetary contribution of their Sugar Mommy or Daddy.

User “Britney from California” expects anywhere between $1,000 and $3,000 monthly from her Sugar Daddy while “Michael from the United Kingdom” has an “Open – Amount Negotiable” expectation of his Sugar Mommy.

Staff Writer Danny Shaw can be reached at 734-429-7380 or dshaw@heritage.com. Follow him on Twitter @ShawEduReporter. Text HER-News and HERWeather to 22700 to receive news and weather alerts to your cellphone. Msg and data rates may apply. Text HELP for help.